Editor’s note: Has China become a giant of proportions that should worry humanity? In a series of analyzes to be read until Monday, our columnist and expert political scientist on China, Loïc Tassé, tries to answer this question.
Countries that are ostracized from nations can increasingly count on a choice ally: China.
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The ideological justification for these alliances borrows from old Marxist arguments: countries that are ostracized by the United States and its allies are necessarily victims. Victims of US imperialism and capitalism. As these countries are often developing countries, China adds another dimension: the necessary solidarity between developing countries.
Of course, the idea that the world’s largest economy is still a developing country is delusional on its very face. But the Chinese government likes to keep this label to continue to enjoy the many privileges that developing countries enjoy in international organizations like the World Trade Organization.
Friend of enemies
Photo d’archives, AFP
China has notably entered into an alliance with North Korea and its leader, Kim Jong-Un, pictured here on March 23, during a ceremony to launch the construction of 10,000 housing units in Pyongyang.
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In reality, the explanation is simpler. China follows an old saying: the enemies of my enemies are my friends.
This is how China and Iran signed a major strategic trade deal last month. It’s easy to understand that China is going to help Iran bypass US sanctions and it will get paid in Iranian gas and oil. China gains a lot from this market. It extends its influence in the heart of Asia and it diversifies its supply of hydrocarbons.
The agreement consolidates the formation of a Chinese bloc. Until now, China had respected the embargo against Iran and it had significantly reduced its trade with that country. This will probably no longer be the case. In addition, China could protect Iran while it develops its nuclear arsenal. Deja vu.
North Korea too
A similar alliance indeed unites China and North Korea, although the Chinese government has always implied that it cannot influence the North Koreans. Except that Kim Jong-Un’s frequent visits to Xi Jinping suggest otherwise.
In any case, with the means at its disposal, China could easily have imposed a real embargo against North Korea, which it did not do.
The Venezuelan sector
China is also very close to the Venezuelan government. However, Chinese business is not flourishing in Maduro country.
It is because the country is so dysfunctional and corrupt that China is struggling to repay the $ 20 billion loan it granted. Sales of Venezuelan oil to China are slowing down. But China is using the money owed to it to enter other sectors, such as agriculture and fisheries.
In return, the alliance between Venezuela and China is closely followed by other Latin American countries seeking to shed US influence.
In short, Beijing offers itself more and more as an alternative to Washington.
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